Martyn Tucker: Victim impact statement

A man in his 50s told a court today how his abuser had “stolen his soul”.

The man – who used a relatively new procedure to read his own victim impact statement at Mold Crown Court – told how defendant Martyn Tucker had set him on a path of self-hatred and self-destruction.

He had “lived in a fog” because of what had happened to him when he was aged about 12 and 13.

The man, who cannot be publicly identified, said that he had lost all hope, and added “I am still lost.”

He was the only victim to attend today’s hearing when Tucker received 12 years.

The man sat at the side of the court and often stared at the defendant, who sat in the dock looking straight ahead.

After the prosecution case had been opened by prosecuting barrister John Philpotts, he went into the witness box and told Judge Niclas Parry: “Please bear with me. I have never done anything like this before.

“At the time these offences were committed, I was maybe 12 or 13 of age and they destroyed my life.

“Looking back, I never had a chance.

“The damage to me physiologically was buried so deep I didn’t realise it was there and how destructive it had been, until I came forward and had session with a therapist.

“At the time, and for some years after, I had never put a foot wrong.

“In my future, I never seemed to put a foot right.

“This man stole my soul and set me on a path of self-hatred and self destruction that persisted for years. I lived in a fog and cared for no one, let alone myself.

“I drifted into drugs and all that involves.

“I had no direction.

“My family were wonderful and they tried to help me but I could never talk about the underlying cause.”

He went on: “I had my future stolen, the ability to form meaningful relationships was beyond me. I could never hope to have a wife and kids and I couldn’t look after myself.

“To this day, I am still lost.

“I don’t know what impact these proceedings will have on my mental state, maybe closure will help. I hope so, as nothing else has.”

He had been unable to work and had been homeless for many years.

“It was terrible,” he said.

He had a fear of authority and could not bear anyone telling him what to do.

The man told how it had been a long time before he could make a complaint – he had done a lot of soul searching before coming forward.

John Philpotts, prosecuting, said that the man approached Cheshire police in 2012 and made a complaint of historical sex abuse.

He was video interviewed.

“He said that he was aware from media reports, particularly from the Wrexham
area, that convictions had been secured in cases of historical sex abuse older than the incidents he was about to relate.

“Consequently, he had realised that time was not really an issue in making such complaints and, having discussed it with his GP, he had been advised that making a complaint might assist him. So he decided to do so.”

Another man in his 40s told in a statement how it was traumatic and frightening at the time but he had put the matters behind him and suppressed his thoughts about it over the years.

But a third said how the defendant’s acts had caused him “considerable physical and emotional problems” including low self-esteem, a lack of confidence and it affected his concentration. He had been through difficult times but had access to counselling.

He found that he could not trust other men and some years later, panicked when he saw the defendant in Chester.

The man said that it had affected his sleep and he had been unable to mention it to anyone until the proceedings.

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The Editor

Mark Thomas

Liverpool-born Mark joined the Daily Post in January 2014 after seven years as editor of its Merseyside sister title the Liverpool Post. He started out as a weekly news reporter on Wirral Newspapers, and spent seven years at the Daily Post and Liverpool Echo. He was The Press Association's regional correspondent for North Wales, Merseyside and Cheshire from 1983 to 1997, before returning to the ECHO as deputy news editor. He has won a number of journalism awards, including the UK Press Gazzette Regional Reporter of the Year award, and in 1993 wrote a book on the James Bulger murder.